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Anthony Burns was born into enslavement in Stafford around 1834. There were 13 children in his family. He and his father and brothers worked in the Robertson Stone Quarry, site of the present-day subdivision of Austin Ridge. (Stone from this quarry went toward the construction of the U.S. Capitol.) Anthony and his family belonged to…

Stafford’s “Confederate Year” refers to the first year of the war. It was directly connected to Virginia’s strategic preparations for defense. Put into effect with the state’s secession in mid-April 1861, the defenses were integrated with the introduction of Confederate Troops from other Southern States. This significant year of the war included: Virginia Provisional Army…

In the spring and summer of 1862, as many as 10,000 enslaved people crossed the Rappahannock River to freedom. The Trail to Freedom retraces their route. Many enslaved persons saw the arrival of the Union army in Stafford, opposite Fredericksburg, in April 1862 as a chance for freedom. During the Union occupation that spring and…